BY VICTOR REYES AND JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
A PHILIPPINE Air Force plane carrying President Marcos Jr. en route to South Cotabato encountered a technical issue yesterday morning, prompting it to return to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
The President took a backup aircraft, a C-295 plane, and proceeded to General Santos City, where he waxs then picked up by a helicopter which took him to South Cotabato where he attended the launching of the Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program (CRPMP).
“The G280 command and control aircraft that flew this morning with the President onboard had to return to base a few minutes after takeoff due to a minor technical issue on the aircraft’s flaps operations,” said Air Force spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo said.
Castillo said the aircraft was acquired for P2 billion from the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp as part of the AFP modernization program. It was delivered in September 2020.
Officials have said the plane will be used for command and control and transport of the President – the military’s commander-in-chief – and other VIPs, including Cabinet members.
Castillo said the issue was “nothing serious,” adding the plane returned as a “precautionary” measure.
“It is nothing serious, but since the PAF maintains the highest standards of flight safety, the pilots decided to do a precautionary return to base and have the aircraft thoroughly checked,” said Castillo.
“There was a ready back up aircraft, which is a C295, and so the presidential movement was resumed immediately,” she added.
In South Cotabato, the President led the distribution of various forms of assistance to farmers, Cotabato, including driers and other farm equipment, to boost the rice and other agricultural production in the province.
The President was initially scheduled to visit Bangsa and Koronadal, both in South Cotabato, in the morning but was forced to delay the event following issue with the PAF plane.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil said Marcos arrived safely in South Cotabato.
In Banga, the President apologized for being late and explained about the technical problems that the aircraft encountered.
Marcos also proceeded with the launching of the South Cotabato Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program which aims to consolidate rice production programs in the province and introduce a mechanization scheme to increase rice production and improve the grain quality to make it more competitive globally as well as to make their harvesting more efficient and while keeping the cost of production low.
The national government also turned over P115.3 million for the CRPMP to fund the setting up of the South Cotabato Integrated Rice Processing Center and a warehouse, and various agricultural machines and inputs such as hauling trucks, hybrid seeds, fertilizers and inbred rice varieties, and driers, among others.
With the program, South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. committed that the province would produce at least eight tons of rice per hectare, from the current four tons per heater, which the President welcomed.
“Itong ganitong klaseng programa ay ito talaga ang aming iniisip na nako-consolidate ninyo lahat ng iba’t ibang function. Lahat nung mga gawain para sa paghanda, para sa pagtulong sa magsasaka, para sa pagpapababa ng presyo ng processing, at para mabigyan naman, mabalik sa ating mga magsasaka ang kikitain para sa pagpabili ng bigas (This is the kind of program that we are thinking of. To consolidate the different function. From the preparation to helping farmers and to the lowering of the processing cost to return the profit to the farmers),” he said.
After the event, Marcos led the distribution of various government assistance to 5,166 beneficiaries in Koronadal City, including P13.11 million worth of livelihood assistance to 619 beneficiaries under the Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and aid to some 1,000 beneficiaries under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), the Balik Pilipinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program and Government Internship Program also of DOLE.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also distributed P10,000 cash assistance from its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) to 2,000 beneficiaries, while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) provided P16.6 million worth of scholarship to 1,003 beneficiaries and tool kits to 250 beneficiaries of their Alay ay Liwanag at Asenso (TALA) Program, and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provided P4.58 million worth of livelihood assistance or P112,050 each to six beneficiaries under its Shared Service Facility (SSF) Project. Additional aid was released through its Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa program.
The President also visited the ongoing DOLE job fair in South Cotabato and launched the South Cotabato province-wide Healthcare System and Referral Manual to help all residents, especially indigents, get proper healthcare in line with the Universal Health Care law.
